We can all help create home for someone.
What can I do?
Children need families, families need community.
Everyone has a part to play to ensure that every child experiences the welcome, stability and care of a home and community where they can thrive. We can all help create home for someone.
We don’t all have to do the same thing, but we can all do something. Explore options to pray, give, support, volunteer, advocate, or become a carer.
Whatever level of time or resource you have to give, there is something you can do to support those involved in the Out-of-Home Care system.
Pray.
Prayer is perhaps the greatest contribution we can make to seeing positive change within the Out-of-Home Care space. Pray with us for kids waiting for the right home, for care-experienced children and young people, for carers opening their homes and hearts to children and young people, for parents desiring to be reunited with their children, for a system seeking to keep our children safe, and for churches seeking to step into this space.
Download the Prayer Guide and pray with us.
Support carers.
There are so many ways to provide support for carers who have stepped into a unique and challenging role. We can ensure that they’re not doing the journey alone, offering prayer, friendship, understanding and practical support.
Read more about ideas and tips for supporting carers in your world.
Give material donations.
Sometimes children enter care without anything but the clothes they’re wearing. There are a number of organisations across Australia who provide backpacks of items for kids who you can support through material or financial donations.
We have listed some of these organisations at the link below.
Donate.
Partner with The Homeward Project financially and help mobilise a movement of people across Australia and write a better story for children and families involved in the Out-of-Home Care system. Your donation will enable us to create more practical resources, engage more churches, and grow the Homeward community for greater impact.
You could also donate to a local community organisation working in this space, or to your local church’s ministry to support children and families.
Volunteer.
There are many different opportunities to serve children and families in your community, whether it be kids in care, care leavers, carers, or families doing it tough. You could be a mentor, provide respite care, support vulnerable families, or support young people leaving care.
We’ve created a list of some Volunteer Opportunities related to Out-of-Home Care.
Advocate.
You can help lead a movement for change in the Out-of-Home Care space and be a champion for The Homeward Project in your church. Spread the word, help to recruit and support carers, and mobilise people to get involved.
Find out more about becoming a Homeward Advocate.
Engage your church.
Your church can help to transform the Out-of-Home Care space in your local community. The Homeward Project provides resources, opportunities and support to create a local ministry that makes a difference for children and families, and where every member of your church can find a way to engage.
Explore the opportunities for Your Church & The Homeward Project.
Become a carer.
Provide Emergency or Short-term Foster Care while decisions are made about a child’s longer-term care, or provide Long-term Foster Care for a child who is unable to live at home or be cared for by a relative.
Provide Respite Care, such as for one weekend a month, or for a couple of weeks, to give primary carers or parents a break.
Find out more about Foster Care and explore it further.
Check out our Resources
We’ve got a wide range of resources to inspire and equip you to make a difference in the Out-of-Home Care space in your local community.